Editor reviews

Joy Dettman's compelling saga is set in the rural Australian logging town of Woody Creek in the early 1900s, when Gertrude Foote discovers a pregnant woman near the railroad, unconscious and near death. She doesn't survive, but the child does, and is soon taken in by Gertrude's daughter, Amber, and her husband, Norman, who have recently lost their son in childbirth. The fairy tale turns dark, though, as young Jenny suffers under the neglect and abuse of her new mother. Diedre Rubenstein's performance is sharp and precise, bringing deft characterization and heightening the emotions of this brutal tale.

Summary

On a balmy midsummer's evening in 1923, a young woman - foreign, dishevelled, and heavily pregnant - is found unconscious just off the railway tracks in the tiny logging community of Woody Creek. The town midwife, Gertrude Foote, is roused from her bed when the woman is brought to her door. Try as she might, Gertrude is unable to save her, but the baby lives.
When no relatives come forth to claim the infant, Gertrude's daughter, Amber - who has recently lost a son in childbirth - and her husband, Norman, take the child in. In the ensuing weeks, Norman becomes convinced that God has sent the baby to their door, and in an act of reckless compassion and lonely desperation, he names the baby Jennifer and registers her in place of his son.
Loved by some but scorned by more, including her stepmother and sister, Jenny survives her childhood and grows into an exquisite and talented young woman. But who were her parents? And why does she so strongly resemble an old photograph of Gertrude's philandering husband?
Spanning two momentous decades and capturing rural Australia's complex and mysterious heart, Pearl in a Cage is the new novel by one of our most talented storytellers.

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Customer Reviews

Would have liked more in the end....

19 CD's on one book and then ended in a way that the listener feels dispointed, like something is missing. The book captures your attention to listen, well written and narrated but ends as if a lot can still be said and explained.

Beautifully Read

I like this book initially, and thought the story sounded hopeful, but found it incredibly depressing. The story spent far too much time the some of the characters who weren’t the main person described in the description details, so the story seems to lie it’s way. Then a sudden change in direction really does bring the book to its lowest point in the later stages, so quite disappointed, it is reasonably well written, but I wouldn’t recommend this book on. But the reader was brilliant, if not for her I would have persisted with it.

What a great storyteller Joy Dettman is

If you could sum up Pearl in a Cage in three words, what would they be?

I want more

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pearl in a Cage?

I hate this question I've read so many reviews where the whole story line is mapped out including the ending. This book is a really good story it's not a mills and boon type of story so don't buy if you are expecting a romance.

What about Deidre Rubenstein’s performance did you like?

She's believable even narrating the male voices, didn't find her narration grating. However as the story is set in a country town in Victoria, Australia she does sometimes put on a very aussie accent. Don't be put off by this it is in line with the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Where dirty linen is on show

Any additional comments?

I discovered Joy Dettman only recently when I purchased "The Silent Inheritance" at the airport. Loved this book and couldn't put it down and wanted more and discovered the Woody Creek series. I was a little worried however as I only generally read crime novels, however not disappointed finished this book and now on the second story. Highly recommend